The lights in the sky
by Breezetheory
Summary: His family have all but gone, he admired two of them and hated the other. He was always a promising archer. His grandfather said he was the best. Now, he must transverse through a rough world to help as many people as he can- he always wanted the best for others. Rated M for language and smut in later chapters. M!Dragonborn/Lydia
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Hello people, I just had inspiration for this story while suffering major blockage from getting past the first chapter in my over book. Hopefully I won't abandon this one as well. Anyway, please read/review and give advice. Thanks y'all.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skyrim, or anything to do with the Elder Scrolls. I do own my characters, however.**

He didn't know what happened; he just fell from a height and woke up later. That's all he could recall. He opened his piercing green eyes gracelessly, starting to feel the pain that is coming from his head. He ran his hand through his short brown hair, feeling a warm liquid he immediately retracted and noticed his hand was covered in blood.

"Oh shit" was all he muttered out loud, he knew he had to run to the nearest Hold to get help, but he couldn't remember where he was, or why he was there. He started looking around, searching for a way out of his predicament, seeing nothing but rocks and trees.

"Just think for a moment, try and remember you stupid beggar" he muttered again, he never did feel happy about whom he was; he never had a large self-confidence. He began to move upwards, feeling a pain in his inner thigh he immediately fell to the ground again, and then he attempted again; only more swiftly this time. "Holy shit; that doesn't feel too good" retorted his inner voice to himself, he knew talking to himself was a sign of insanity, but everyone is insane in their own way. He began pacing, slowly, towards an opening in the tree line, narrowly avoiding tripping on rocks and broken branches as he walked. Upon the clearing, he noticed a Dragon's Tongue growing, he knew they were rare so he picked it up, and placed it in one of the pockets which scattered across his leather armour which he wore. He always wore his black leather armour; it was a gift from his grandfather when he turned 12, the age in which most children chose their path in the future. He chose to become a ranger; he was the best marksman in his town. Though, it was more of a hamlet. It was his mother, father, grandfather, and another two families. Then he remembered- the houses were all left ablaze by a group of bandits attacking it.

"Ah shit, fucking shit" He began getting teary eyed about his family, and his friends, he lived there all his life. His family was there, his grandfather, who acted as his mentor and his father were the only ones who were left of his family. He didn't care for his mother, and she didn't care for him, so when she died last year from Mountain fever he didn't shed a tear, he knew he should have but years of being abused by her made him forget all feelings. His father left his mother before all the abuse, but he still had to visit both of them. He would rather have stayed with his Father and Grandfather the full time, instead of visiting the Hagraven of his mother.

"Boy, you're finally awake again. Come on, we need to get back on the road to Riverwood. Come now; let's get your head cleared up again. That fall from yesterday really took its toll on you." He heard a voice from his left side, he realised it was his father's friend, Ralof. He was 32 years old, double his own age, and had been planning on joining the Stormcloak rebellion, a new opposition towards the legion.

"Yeah, I'm coming, and don't call me boy, at least call me by my name."

"And why would I do that, Lucky? Hm? As far as I remembered you hated your name!" Ralof taunted, in a friendly tone.

"Yeah well, it was a nickname and it stuck. Just call me by my real name for once." He replied, expecting Ralof to ignore his suggestion.

"Sure thing Sabre I have no problem with that. Now, let's avoid going down the Helgen path and continue down this one." Sabre hadn't realised that he was going down the wrong path until he heard Ralof's laughter

"Yeah yeah, let's just get to your sister's house quickly, I need a proper meal and to see a proper woman for the first time in years."

"Boy, you aren't going anywhere near my sister." Ralof replied with a harsh tone. "You know she's married, but, I heard that the trader's sister is available." Ralof eased the nerved with a subtle wink at Sabres direction. "You'll have no problems with her, I presume. You're lucky like that." Ralof laughed at his own joke, and Sabre joined in.

"That's why they call me Lucky, because somehow girls fall for me in an instant." Sabre responded, he knew he was definitely lucky, but sometimes he wished he wasn't like that.

* * *

"Well, look here: Guardian stones. Pick you're sign, Sabre, and then it's a sort walk to Riverwood."

Sabre walked towards the warrior stone, purely because he knew that the divines would grant extra assistance with his archery- not that he needed it.

"Mhm, going for the obvious once again. Not surprising. Hey, at least you can join up with me for the Stormcloaks now that no one is holding you back." Ralof spoke to him, but Sabre ignored. He didn't know who to fight for- his father was a legionnaire and he wanted to hear no news of the civil war, which at the time had only just begun. His grandfather wanted to openly worship Talos, so he was thinking of joining up with the Stormcloaks, he was still a worthy archer and swords master even in his old age. Sabre felt tears again, remembering his newly deceased family. Sabre spent the rest of the walk in silence.

"And we're here, go and visit my sister's house, I'm going to visit Alvor for some supplies. I'll meet you there." Said Ralof, as they approached Riverwood.

"Sure thing, Ralof." And so he began to walk towards the house which Ralof pointed at, it was rather large and so he assumed there would be a big living space. "Hello? Gerdur, are you here?" Asked Sabre, when he walked in the front door.

"Oh, a handsome boy has wandered into my house. What can I do for you?" Gerdur responded, almost seductively.

"I'm here with Ralof, we need a place to stay for a while. Our little settlement got ransacked by bandits, we're the only two who made it out alive." Sabre responded, he started to become teary again, if whenever he thought of his deceased family and friends he was going to get teary he was going to have a rough time.

"Oh sweetie, come here. It will all be fine soon, I can promise you that." Gerdur responded, bringing Sabre into a tight hug.

"Can you run a bath so I can clean up?" Sabre asked, acknowledging the fact that Gerdur was eyeing his head in a suspecting manner.

"Of course, my husband will be home in a minute. And don't mind the crying from across the path, Alvor and his wife have a two year old son, he has a mighty fever at the moment. Luckily Frodnar hasn't visited with Hod recently so he won't catch it and keep us awake all night." Gerdur started rambling on, so Sabre just kissed her to shut her up, it was what he always did to the mother who lived opposite his own mothers house.

"Thank you for letting me stay here for a while, I really appreciate it." Sabre said, before walking out the door to the traders. Gerdur just stood there in shock. A light red blush appearing on her cheeks.

"Sister, I'm home. Holy shit, why are you blushing so much?" Ralof asked, as soon as he walked in the house. He noticed Sabre walking down the path quite quickly, but he didn't expect anything of it. "By Mara, he didn't did he? He did. Damn you, Lucky." Ralof spoke quickly, but couldn't help but admire the way he made all girls act like this.

* * *

Outside, Sabre started talking to a Bosmer, who claimed to be a good archer. Of course, Sabre knew when a challenge was appearing before him, and he accepted the challenge. Faendal, the Bosmer, walked him over to an archery target range and laid down the rules.

"Okay, 'Lucky', you've got three shots. Stay behind this line." Faendal pointed to a faint line on the ground "The inner circle is highest scoring; the outer circle is lowest scoring. Missing the target gives no points. Ready?"

"When you are" Sabre responded. He noticed a crowd gathering, so he assumed that Faendal was actually a good archer. He hoped that he could to better.

"Begin!" Faendal exclaimed, so he began firing arrows into his target. He hit one in the centre, and two on the second inner rings. "That racks up to 7 points. Let's see you do better." And with that Sabre fired his arrows into the target, all three hitting the centre ring.

"And how many points is that, hmm? I do believe I've won this match. Maybe next time?" Sabre outed his hand for Faendal to shake, and he accepted.

"I've never seen anyone with such good skills, you really are lucky, so that's what I'll stick to calling you. " Faendal replied, with a smile.

Among the crowed Sabre could hear mutters of how good of a shot he was, he couldn't help but feel proud, and he knew that his family would think the same thing. Among them there was Gerdur talking with another woman, and then Ralof talking with Alvor and another woman.

Sabre began walking back to the traders, to sell off some of the things he no longer required that he took from his blazing home. Everyone also dispersed, other than Gerdur and another woman.

"Well, Sabre, it seems you know a lot more than knowing how to charm a woman. You're archery skills are rather good." Gerdur smiled at him. "This is Camilla, she runs the traders with her brother." Gerdur then leaned in closer to Sabre "She's also not in a relationship" and Sabre couldn't help but feel a slight blush creep on his face.

"No offence, but she's a little older than me. I'd rather stick to girls around my age; you know, 16, 17, maybe 18 year olds. No one who is 19, sorry Camilla."

"I'm not 19, silly, I'm 23. But thanks for the compliment, and anyway I've got enough on my plate with the two idiots trying to 'woo' me. I'm not really interested in anyone."

"And who are the two idiots; maybe I can get them of your back?"

"It's Sven, he lives with his ma at their house, and Faendal, the elf you had that little game with."

"I'll see what I can do, and I need to sell these things off, is that okay?"

"Sure, just let me get inside and hand you the coin."

Sabre handed Camilla all his items, minus his hunting bow, steel dagger, an amulet which his father gave him, a book named 'The Dragonborn of Legends' and his leather armour. In return, he got just over 100 Septims, and a seductive glance when he handed over a book, one he never read, named 'the lusty Argonian maid.'

"And that's all, I will see if I can sort out the two for you." Sabre said, as he left the store. Camilla couldn't help but feel a little connected to the 16 year old; he was just handsome in some otherworldly way.

As Sabre left the house, he noticed a large nord whom he hasn't seen before. So, he took a chance and hoped it was Sven. "Hey" he said

"What is it, Imperial?" the nord replied,

"Are you Sven?"

"Sure am, I guess you're the new kid in town, saw you beat that elf too. Haha, good job." Sven replied.

"Can I just ask you to leave Camilla alone? She doesn't want a relationship, trust me."

"Yeah, sure. I was getting over her anyway." Sven tried to hide how he was actually intimidated by the boy, it was odd and he knew he could overpower him. But he chose not to, for some odd reason.

"Well, that was easier than I thought it was going to be, thanks Sven." And with that Sabre left him to go and find Faendal. He noticed him chopping up wood, probably for arrows, by the mill. And so he confronted him straight away.

"Hey, Faendal, can you leave Camilla alone? She isn't interested." Sabre told him.

"I was sure she was interested, but you seem honourable enough to not lie to anyone, boy do liars suck. I'll let go of my emotions to her. And thanks for telling me, before I do something stupid."

"No problem, Faendal." Sabre began to head back into the traders. "Wow that was quicker than I thought it was going to take." He muttered to himself. "Camilla, you won't have any people after you until you're ready, no thanks necessary. See you around." Sabre told Camilla, and she just looked happy in response. "I can't thank you enough, Sabre. If you need some coin, don't hesitate to ask us."

Sabre left the traders, walking back along the path to Gerdurs house. The sun was still bright in the sky, but he needed rest, and he needed to clean up. He then remembered everything he did today, he felt achieved. He helped someone out, and he has shown how useful he is with a bow. He knew he was going to have a good time here in Riverwood.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Welcome to my second chapter. Woo.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim.**

Today it was snowing, and it felt good beneath Sabres feet. Today was his birthday; it had been three months since he arrived in Riverwood, and officially made Gerdur's house his house as well. Gerdur and he had a sort of toy-boy relationship, even though she was married. He always went to her for help, with anything. And when Gerdur was feeling down, Sabre would attempt to make her feel better, whether that was by cooking the food or by giving her a massage. Not that he minded what he did.

However, he wanted to get away from everything. He still felt remorse about his family; he even started to miss his mother-who hated him. No one could make him feel better, at the moment. Previously, all birthdays were celebrated with everyone in the small farmstead. Even his mother visited to congratulate on living another year, and then left after giving a little present, whether it was a book or a ring. For his 16th his mother gave him 'the lusty Argonian maid' as a joke, and he laughed and hugged her. He hugged her for the first time since his parents split up. And she actually smiled. He began to break down into tears at that, he missed everyone. It was now only Ralof and himself that survived. He kept feeling guilty, saying to himself that he could have saved everyone. But his bow was left in the woods from an earlier hunt.

"Hey sweetie, are you okay?" Sabre heard Gerdur's voice from behind him. He never lied to anyone, so he told the truth.

"No, I keep feeling bad about my family." He said, before breaking down again.

"It's not your fault, and besides, I've got a nice present for you that will make you feel better."

"And what is that? Nothing will make me feel better about myself."

"Well, sweetie, it's my body. It's yours for the whole day" Gerdur replied, but before Sabre could respond she leapt on him and started kissing him profusely. He felt her tongue against his skin, and immediately pulled back.

"I'm sorry Gerdur, but you're married. I can't do this, especially since Hod is letting me live in his house. I'm really sorry." And with that Sabre ran away. Gerdur just slumped down feeling bad about herself.

"It's not your fault." Gerdur tried calling out to him, but he didn't come back. She started feeling worried; she knew she pushed it too far this time. She was an idiot, but it wasn't her fault he was so attractive.

Sabre kept running through the snow, his boots making imprints on the surface. He wasn't looking where he was going, but he noticed he was heading downhill.

"Watch it!" He stumbled into someone; he didn't recognise her, the back of her anyway. But she did have beautiful hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm just feeling like shit today." Sabre responded, and she turned around, he was immediately hit by her beauty. Her blue eyes pierced into his soul, her lips curled into a slight smile and her ears twitched a little, he found that incredibally cute.

"Just watch out next time. It's cold out here, wouldn't want you to fall into the snow and get frostbite. Now, get out my way I need to train my skills. See you around." Before Sabre could say anything, she ran off, leaving her raven hair sprawling in the wind. He felt hurt by her abrupt departure, but he couldn't get over it. He felt immediately connected to her.

* * *

Sabre began walking through the trees, following a rabbit which seemed to take a liking to him. He reached out and stroked its head, and it just made a squeaking noise. It sounded adorable, so he kept it alive.

After collecting several wolf pelts he decided to return back to Riverwood, just to check that Gerdur was feeling fine after their earlier encounter. He personally felt like shit after what happened. However, he had no idea which direction Riverwood was in. He saw Whiterun, the capital of the hold, and knew that you needed to head south to get there. But he didn't know which direction he was facing. Clouds spewing snow blocked all forms of acknowledging directions. After a large snow drift collapsed a branch above him the snow fell upon the rabbit, covering it completely. Sabre began digging his little friend out of the snow, and once it was out the rabbit ran off to wherever its den lay.

And so, he decided to make up camp outside the walls of Whiterun until the snow would stop falling. Of course, that requires a tarp to use as cover and he didn't have one on him at the moment. So, with that he journeyed inside the gate and headed straight to the inside of Whiterun.

As he was walking he kept getting looks from the guards, of course he knew they were only being suspicious because they haven't seen him before. He approached the gate, and immediately got questioned by the guard. He knew he had to keep his cool, and simply answer what the guard said.

"What are you doing here, boy?" The guard questioned, acting on impulse to the new arrival.

"I'm just here to sell of a few of the game I caught, and maybe rent a room in the local inn if there's room."

"Anything else?" The guard quizzed.

"No - not that I can think of anyway. Besides, you look like you could use a drink yourself, so why hold me back eh?"

"Fair enough, enjoy yourself here."

The guard move out of Sabre's way and opened the gate just enough to let Sabre through. After nodding his head in thanks, he walked straight inside. The first thing he saw was the local forge, on the right of the entrance. He thought that was the best place to go to sell of his pelts. He noticed a woman working on the forge; she looked like an Imperial. He entered the front of the store, and was greeted by a rather big Nord.

"Welcome to Warmaidens, looking to buy some armour, or deal some damage, hm?"

"I'm just here to sell off some pelts, if that's okay?"

"Of course, my wife out there loves to tan the leather herself. We'll buy wolf pelts for a slightly larger price then other stores, so you're pretty lucky to end up here first."

Sabre sold off four of his pelts, keeping two for himself, for a good price of 55 Septims, he thought the pricing was a bit off but he didn't complain as he was only expecting 40 Septims. He then began the brief walk towards the market area to see if he could acquire some form of tarp to use as cover. He noticed a 'General Goods' sign swinging in the cold winters air, so he decided to stop by there and see if he could find what he needed. Immediate upon entry, he was welcomed by a somewhat cheery chap, Breton to be precise.

"Welcome to Belethor's goods store, what can I do for you?"

"I'm just in need of some form of tarp, and firewood if you have any."

"Of course, I assume you are planning on staying the night outside the Hold? Good and bad idea, only because the folks in the inn are too busy celebrating the return of the Jarl. Both the Drunken Huntsman and the Banned Mare are full. Anyway, here you go. And here's a woodcutters axe, it's slightly dented but I can't sell it, so I thought I could hand it to you for free."

Sabre accepted the woodcutter's axe, which barely seemed broken besides a worn out blade. He threw the tarp over his shoulders and held the firewood in his arms. "Thanks for this, I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem; just remember to come back here if you need anything else." And with that Sabre left the building, back into the freezing weather of Skyrim. He decided to spend a little bit longer in Whiterun before the night descended upon the province. He climbed some stairs and stood beneath a blossoming tree, admiring its beauty.

"It's the Gildergreen tree; followers of Kynareth make a pilgrimage to visit this tree. It's a beauty, isn't it?" Sabre looked behind him to see a priestess admiring the tree as well. "Let's just hope it stays like this, hm?"

"Yeah, it's really admirable, I'm thankful I didn't leave Whiterun already, I would have missed this." Sabre responded. He looked back at the priestess and she smiled at him, clearly happy with his response. "Well, I'm going to head out now. Nice seeing you, and the tree." And with that sabre departed, heading along a path which traversed through several large houses and along the Holds' walls.

When he reached the gate, he could hear some metal on metal sounds. Being curious, he followed the sound. He walked past Warmaidens forge and saw a women fighting against a training dummy. Upon seeing the raven hair of the woman who was training, he knew who it was.

"Hey there, you look like you're having fun bashing in that sand bag" Sabre jokingly said to the girl.

"Oh, you again. Just back off, okay? I need to train. Go away." She replied icily, which caught Sabre off guard and couldn't help buy make him feel bad.

"Sorry, I was just thinking you could train with a person, and not a bag." Sabre responded.

"Yeah well, I've got a person I'm training with. And here she comes" She pointed to the back door of Warmaidens and saw the Imperial woman walk out.

"Is this fellow troubling you, Lydia?" She asked, and then pointed to Sabre.

"Yes. He won't leave me alone, and earlier today he walked right into me when he wasn't looking!" Lydia almost screamed at her.

"Well, maybe you should go then."

"I couldn't agree more. It was nice seeing you again, Lydia." Sabre said, before walking away from the almost steaming Nord and apologetic Imperial women.

* * *

Sabre walked out of the front gates and looked over to the guard, who was still the same one as earlier. Feeling generous, Sabre handed the guard 5 Septims. "You really do need a drink; when off duty use it to buy yourself one."

"Thank you, kind sir. I'll be sure to remember your name."

"It's Sabre, and it was no problem." Sabre then walked off, leaving behind a fairly happy guard.

Upon reaching the lower gate he set his tarp up: setting it up in a tent like fashion. After setting his shelter up, he started using his firewood to make a fire. Striking a small piece of tinder against the firewood started the small fire. Thankfully, the snow melted before it could ruin his fire. He placed his bow and quiver of arrows beside him, but kept his iron dagger strapped to his leg. He pulled up his cowl, to stop the snow from running down his head.

Just before he settled down he suddenly heard a scream. He picked up his bow and arrows, and he began running to the source of the noise. He made several turns to make sure he was still seeing Whiterun, which could still be seen at the edge of the plains.

At the sight of a blood trail, Sabre immediately panicked, thinking he was too late. But a small grunting noise brought him back. Following the trail, he pulled out his bow. He saw a small pack of wolves, four of them all together. Knowing they were behind the attack, he pierced two of them with arrows before they took notice of him.

One of the wolves made a quick attack, to which Sabre knocked him back with his bow, and then sliced it with an arrow tip. For the final wolf, Sabre ripped off his dagger and started parrying towards it. Upon seeing this, the wolf sidestepped him and clenched his leg inside his mouth, earning a loud scream of pain. However, Sabre quickly regained himself and thrust his dagger in the head of the wolf; he too earned a yelp of pain before it died.

Sabre began searching for the victim, who must be cowering somewhere around here. Seeing the blood trail stop, he looked around some more. He saw a woman lying in the ground, definitely of Nord composure. He ran to her side to see if she was alive. He saw a soft rising and drowning in her stomach, meaning she was still breathing. He swiftly picked her up in his arms and started carrying her to Whiterun.

He began running to the gates, he could keep hearing the woman trying to speak, and thankfully her eyes were open. She could never say anything though, no matter how hard she tried.

Upon reaching the gate, the guard shift had still not changed. The guard quickly opened the door when he saw what was happening, and escorted them through the city.

"What happened, Sabre?"

"A pack of wolves attacked her; I heard her scream and ran as fast as I could. The priestess of Kynareth should be able to help her."

"Of course, lad, I'll run ahead and make sure there's room for her." And with that the guard ran ahead into the building which Sabre assumed was the temple. After another few moments of walking he reached the door, which was opened for him by the priestess from his earlier encounter.

"Quickly, get her to the bench. I can heal her, but she'll need rest afterwards." The priestess stated. Sabre obliged and laid her down on the bench, revealing her stomach oozing with blood, trailing down her body and to a pool on the floor. "You've got a nasty bite on your leg, you know. " The priestess said to Sabre, while preparing her restoration spells.

"Yeah, I know. I've taken a cure disease filter already; I always keep some with me. It's not even painful anymore, thankfully. Let's just focus on her; I don't even know her name."

"Her name is Vanessa, she lives here in Whiterun, her home is small but she doesn't have a large family, on her and her daughter." The priestess said.

"You clearly didn't get my hint either; I wanted to know your name." Sabre said, with emphasis on the 'your'.

"Oh, Sorry, I'm Danica. I'm the head priestess here. And you're Sabre, I know. The Grundjar said, he's the guard who's helped you."

"Of course, let's just help her out." Sabre responded.

* * *

After an hour of work, Vanessa began to regain her senses, she began to speak properly. She kept calling for her daughter, to which the guard went out to get.

"So, how's it feeling now, any better?" Sabre asked her.

"Yes, I'm feeling a lot better. It's all thanks to you, I owe you so much." She replied.

"No, don't be silly. Well, I might need a few spare Septims for an extra tent, I ran past it and it was completely collapsed under the weight of the snow." Sabre said with a grin, and the woman grinned back.

"If you need somewhere to stay, you can easily stay with us. Speaking of us, surely Grundjar should be back with my daughter. She's the same age as you, but she's too busy training to get the right of Housecarl for the jarl."

Sabre just nodded along, "I bet she's as attractive as you, Vanessa." Sabre said with a smirk, earning a playful glare from the women.

"Most people say we look alike, but I always think she's the prettier one." She replied.

The door opened slightly letting in cold air to the warm area around them. Grundjar walked in, followed by a smaller person.

"Mother, are you okay?" the distinct voice of Lydia could be heard, but Sabre didn't dare turn around.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skyrim.**

Sabre should have known that Lydia was Vanessa's daughter, they did look almost identical. Immediately, Sabre felt a glare from Lydia land upon him.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Lydia spat, spilling out venom on the 'he.' Vanessa couldn't understand the tone, so was obviously in shock by it.

"_He_" almost mimicking her tone "saved my life, the least you could do is being thankful towards him." Vanessa replied.

Sabre suddenly became very uncomfortable and started back away to where Grundjar stood, watching the drama as it unfolds. "I'm just going to go now" was all Sabre said before he opened the door to the temple, Grundjar soon followed.

"What's so uncomfortable that made you leave?" Grundjar queried.

"Lydia hates me, I have no idea why. I walked into her, accidently, on the path earlier today, I apologised and was on my way soon after. Then I ran into her again when she was training at the back of Warmaidens, she was equally acidic then. I guess I just interrupted her training, and she is clearly fond of her training." Sabre responded.

"Whatever it is, we need some mead. Let's get wasted, my shift has been over for what seems like a rotation of Nirn. And I'm aching already."

"You needn't have stayed with us; you could have got wasted on your own. As far as I knew I was going to stay by Vanessa's side all night, just to keep an eye on her. But, I guess that's not happening now." Sabre responded, and they both began the walk to the local tavern.

Meanwhile, in the Temple of Kynareth

"Why are you such a bitch to that guy? He saved my life for divine's sake!" Vanessa all but screamed at her daughter

"You don't understand; he made me lose track of the wolf that killed father!" Lydia shouted back.

"I told you to stay in Whiterun to train as I was going after it, and guess what, I found it." Vanessa screamed, getting an awful look from the surrounding patients and priests. "It nearly killed me, and that's when Sabre came along. He killed it for us. He saved my life, don't you forget. I didn't know a wolf could be that powerful."

"I'm sorry mother, but I was so focused on killing it." Lydia said, tears beginning to appear in her eyes. "I nearly did it too, but that _boy_ came along and ruined it."

"You say he's a boy, yet you're the same age as him. That makes you a girl, a young girl. And I shall now treat you as one, you've shown no respect to anyone, and you don't even thank Sabre for saving my life. It's like you don't care anymore!" Vanessa started crying. She got up, and walked out the door. Danica ran after her, but quickly noticed that she was in perfect health, so went back to healing the wounds of those less fortunate. Lydia ran after her mother, but she couldn't be seen. Giving up, she headed straight to the Banned Mare to drown her sorrows.

* * *

"You know, I still don't have a place to stay." Sabre said to Grundjar "Vanessa was going to let me stay at her house, but that plan is long gone."

"No worries, you could use the coin better than me at the moment, so rent a room at the Drunken Huntsman, far better than the Mare. Also, there's going to be less people because they wouldn't want to walk all the way there to the cloud district for the party. Although, there will be some people staying there." Grundjar explained.

"Well then, let's get some mead down our throats!" Sabre exclaimed.

Walking to the huntsman, Sabre could hear some heavy shouting coming from behind, followed by a loud slam of a door. Thinking nothing of it, he continued along the path with Grundjar leading him to the Tavern.

"Here we are, lad. Drinks on me tonight, you saved me from going after a pack of wolves, and for that I couldn't be more grateful." Grundjar said, as he opened the front door to the Tavern.

Upon entering, it seemed almost empty. Spare for the keeper, a Dumner and a Redguard woman it was empty.

"Welcome to the Drunken Huntsman, my friends. What can I do for you?" The inn keep said.

"The usual please, Elrindir, thanks. My friend here, Sabre, would like a room and mead."

"Sorry buddy, we're out of rooms tonight. All booked out."

"Of course you are- the party going on must be big. All the other guards are said to be keeping an eye out for the Dark Brotherhood, but they haven't been heard of in what seems like my lifetime."

"Hah, the Dark Brotherhood, I doubt they still exist. No visitors have reported hearing or seeing anything to do with them for quite a while. Anyway, here are your drinks. And again, I am sorry for not having a room for you to stay in."

"No problem, thanks for the drinks." Sabre responded, taking the mead and settling down on a table near the entrance, on the opposite side from the Dumner.

"Hey, Grundjar, that fellow looks like he's wearing Thieves Guild armour, are you sure about him?"

"Of course, I thought that at first but he seems to kind, and young, to be Thieves Guild. Besides, if he was I wouldn't still have this on me." Grundjar then proceeds to show a diamond necklace. "I'm giving it to my wife when I get home, spent most of my savings on it, too."

"Well, if you're sure."

"It's only normal leather that has been dyed black, simple to do." Grundjar stated, before heading over to the table with two more jars of mead in his hand.

"This stuff is really good!" Sabre said, to much pleasure. "Where does it come from?"

"It's from the Black Briar meadery in Riften, not many people go there though."

"And why is that?"

"The place if full of thieves; they've bribed the city and have it under their control- with help from Maven Black-Briar of course.

"Oh, sounds like I better avoid that place then. Not that I was actually planning on leaving Whiterun hold. I might head down to Falkreath, though. I feel more at ease there, plus it's closest to where my old farmstead was located."

"Why did you leave?" Grundjar queried, but immediately regretted asking when Sabre's eyes became puffy.

"Bandits attacked, lighting everything on fire. My house was burned first, but I got out of there with a few of my belongings, most importantly my bow. It's a hunting bow, but as powerful as an Ebony make, my grandfather was an expert smith. He knew the ins and outs of a bow, and how to refine it to make it perfect. Of course, I miss my family; my friends; everyone who was there. I even miss my mother, who made it damn near impossible for me to live my last few years. I keep remembering her, though. She had off days where she would love me so much that it would counter the other days, where she was abusing me and forcing me to work. I spent most of my time with my father and grandfather, though. They would make me feel happy, but they're gone now." Sabre stifled a sob, but couldn't contain it. He broke down in the middle of the Tavern struggling to breathe as tears overwhelmed him. He felt soft arms hold him tight, almost making him stop the tears.

"It's okay lad, it'll all be fine one day. Something will turn up and make it all better." Sabre looked up to find Grundjar staring at him, but his arms were at his sides.

"Listen sweetie; ignore my daughter and whatever she says. You clearly need somewhere to stay, and you're more than welcome to stick with us. It's the least we could do, well I can do anyway." He turned his head and saw a sweet smiling Vanessa looking back at him. "Come on then, let's head to your new home."

* * *

Lydia entered the Banned Mare, hoping to find some free mead. However, it was completely full with people dancing around the centre fire and people singing at the top of their lungs, she immediately left and went straight back to her home. Located right at the southern side of town it was far from anyone else, but even so you could hear the noise coming from the inn.

Her home was unlit so she knew no one else was inside, thankfully. She didn't want to see anyone and just wanted to sleep.

"How dare she not understand my thoughts." Lydia thought aloud. "He stole _my _kill. And I'm much more than a girl, she won't dare treat me differently."

Lydia walked towards her isolated room in the lower left of the building. She found her stored Alto Wine and drank one whole bottle before her mother arrived.

"Ah, so her _majesty _and his _saviour_ arrive at last. To what do I owe this _pleasure_" speaking with so much venom in her voice that she could be mistaken for a Tsaesci from Akavir.

"Lydia, go to your room. You have no right to talk to anyone of us like that." Vanessa replied, feeling remorse in her words. She clearly didn't like speaking to her daughter in such a way, but she felt like she had to. Her late husband would surely of been saying worse things if the opposite had happened; If it was Vanessa out hunting and not her husband.

"Whatever, I assume that Sir Stud here is going to be sleeping in your room, then. Don't keep me awake with your moans."

"I'm not sleeping with him; I'm not a common whore, Lydia."

"You keep telling yourself that, _mother._"

"Will you two please shut the _fuck _up? You're doing my head in. Lydia, I don't have a clue why you think I'm going to be sleeping with your mother but I assure you I won't, I'm sleeping on the damn floor for divines sake. I'm going to be working my arse of so much while I'm staying here. You probably won't ever see me, so you don't need to worry your pretty little face about that. I am also sorry for _stealing_ your kill on that wolf, but it was either him or your mother." Sabre was staring at Lydia with dagger eyes. The greenness of them pierced into Lydia's own blue eyes. He then turned his attention to Vanessa, giving her the equal look. "And Vanessa, at least accept that Lydia is going to be a stubborn bitch about all this, she's still going to be upset about her father passing away. You can't just think she'll accept some new guy in her house." Sabre then stopped his rant and slumped onto the floor. "By Oblivion, I can't even believe a family could be like this at times, sure my mother abused me but I wouldn't even think of calling her a whore." He murmured. "I'm just going to try and make this as easy as possible for all of us, there's no way I'm leaving back to Riverwood now. You clearly aren't the richest around, so I'll do all the hunting while Lydia can focus on her training, and Vanessa you can focus on the housework and selling off things I catch." Sabre then got up again and made his way to the chair, head in his hands. Settling down in the chair, he noticed both females were still looking at him, shock in their eyes. "What are you two so shocked about?" Sabre asked, hoping for a valid reply.

"I'm just going to go to bed, thank you Sabre." Vanessa wandered upstairs to her room, hearing the clicking of the door meant that she was inside her room. Lydia was still standing there.

"I don't understand the shock value, I was just voicing the right way to do things around here." Sabre said to Lydia.

"I know, I guess I've been more of a bitch to everyone in this house now. I'll apologise to my mother in the morning, I was only thinking of my father and not of her. You know I am happy she is still alive, right?"

"Of course I know that." Sabre smiled towards Lydia, and she twitched her ears again. "You know, Vanessa told me you're my age. But I never said my age, so how can she be so sure?"

"Well, I'm 17. So, I've started my training to become a housecarl, there's good pay and I get a new house. Of course, it also means I need to go into battle but that's why I'm training- so I don't have to watch my Thane die while I live."

"Of course you are, I only just turned 17 today. It feels like this day has gone so slow, though." Sabre looked into Lydia's eyes again. "And don't worry; I'm sure that when you do get the title of Housecarl, you'll do just fine. Who knows, maybe you'll even fall in love with your Thane." Sabre said, smirking at the now frowning Lydia.

"I probably won't fall for a common warrior; I want a laid back man; someone who doesn't mind fighting, but only for honour; and someone who knows how to pleasure a woman, and not just himself. Oh, and he also has to be a good cook!" Lydia beamed with glee after she said all it, she was imagining her perfect husband.

"Girl, you would think you're a child after saying that." Sabre laughed and removed his cowl from his head. He ran his hand through his hair trying to find the indent which has been there for the best part of three months; since he fell from some rocks the day his family and friends were killed. Tears began flowing again, he couldn't stop them. He never could, and he probably never will. His hand ran over the small scar acknowledging that this is still real, and that he would probably never see his family again.

Lydia noticed his hands cover his eyes and immediately felt awkward. She walked up behind him and patted him on his back. "Don't worry about anything, Sabre. Your parents may be gone, but both my mother and I will look out for you. I lost my father, so I know how you feel. Only it must be thousands of times worse for you. But, look on the bright side. You're living in Whiterun, one of the best cities around."

Sabre looked up and saw a beaming Lydia looking back; somehow she went from this vicious bitch to a now caring girl. It reminded him of the first time he saw her, her beautiful face and cute twitching ears. "I know Lydia, I just need some rest, and then I've got to write a letter and send it to Riverwood, making sure everyone there knows I'm fine. And also making sure Gerdur knows what a slut she is, even though I might have led her on a tad bit."

"Who's Gerdur, and what happened?" Lydia queried.

"Well, she was letting me stay with her and her husband. Her brother lived in our small settlement, he escaped it with me, he tried fighting off the bandits but we both failed, so we ran. I saw bodies burnt in the street." Sabre's eyes glazed over yet again. "But yeah, Ralof took me to his sister's house, and she let me stay with them. Ralof of course stayed as well. But, recently, I started paying back what I felt I owed, you know, helping out around the house, but also helping with her stress, so I would give her massages as well. Her husband didn't mind that though. But, early this morning, Gerdur tried to seduce me, I literally ran as fast as I could from her. I didn't want to lose my manhood to her, no matter how nice she was. And she didn't even try and listen to me when I tried to explain myself. She just went straight for a kiss, and I pushed back immediately. I ran into you shortly after that."

"Sounds like a slut to me." Lydia replied with a subtle wink. "I'm going to rest now, there's some food in the cupboard over there if you're hungry, and you can clearly see our mead rack. If you can't, then I guess you're also blind." Lydia walked back to her room and closed the door behind her.

"Okay, thanks Lyds." Sabre replied shouting back to her, before drifting into his own peaceful rest.


End file.
